President Donald Trump unveiled a new visa facilitation programme for the 2026 World Cup during a White House meeting with FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Monday.
The initiative, dubbed the Fifa Prioritised Appointment Scheduling System or "Fifa pass", will enable football fans who purchase tournament tickets to secure expedited visa interview appointments at American embassies worldwide.
Speaking from the Oval Office, President Trump said that his administration had instructed the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to collaborate intensively to ensure that football supporters worldwide would be "properly vetted and able to come to the United States next summer easily."
Infantino, who has developed strong ties with Trump ahead of the tournament, indicated that Fifa anticipates "between five and 10 million people coming to America from all over the world to enjoy the World Cup."
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The American President proclaimed that the tournament would be "the greatest" in World Cup history, asserting that his administration was achieving "unprecedented" ticket-selling records.
Trump declared the event would represent a "once in a lifetime opportunity" for attendees.
The US President made bold economic projections for the tournament, stating it would inject $30bn into the American economy whilst creating 200,000 employment opportunities.
He subsequently joked with Infantino about the veracity of these financial figures.
President Donald Trump unveiled a new visa facilitation programme for the 2026 World Cup
|REUTERS
The President expressed confidence that the tournament would achieve "great success" and revealed he had "directed my administration to do everything within the power to make the 2026 World Cup and unprecedented success."
The Fifa pass programme will ensure that "those who buy a ticket that are legitimate football fans or soccer fans, they can come and attend the World Cup in the best condition, starting from getting their visa and then coming in the country to enjoy," Infantino explained.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned prospective attendees that possessing a match ticket does not guarantee a valid US visa, urging fans to submit visa applications promptly if planning to attend matches on American soil.
More than six million tickets are on offer for matches distributed across 16 host cities spanning the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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The initiative will enable football fans who purchase tournament tickets to secure expedited visa interview appointments at American embassies worldwide
|REUTERS
Infantino characterised the initiative as demonstrating that "America welcomes the World," adding that the Fifa pass exemplified how this would be "the greatest and most inclusive FIFA World Cup in history."
The 2026 competition will be the first men’s World Cup hosted by three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The tournament has been expanded to 48 teams, up from the previous 32-team format, resulting in a total of 104 matches being played throughout the competition.
16 cities across North America will host the matches: 11 in the US, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.
Infantino indicated that Fifa anticipates 'between five and 10 million people coming to America from all over the world to enjoy the World Cup'
|REUTERS
England, who have already qualified for the competition, went unbeaten in their qualifying group, conceding no goals.
Scotland is currently second in their qualifying group and needs to beat Denmark on Tuesday to avoid having to qualify through the play-offs.
Wales faces a similar challenge; it hosts unbeaten North Macedonia in their final qualifier on Tuesday in a battle for the runners-up spot behind Belgium, who are expected to complete the formalities of topping Group J against Liechtenstein in Liege.
North Macedonia’s superior goal difference means Wales have to win to climb above them and get home advantage in the play-offs.